Effective Community Engagement during the Environmental Assessment of a Mining Project in the Canadian Arctic

Abstract

The Back River Project is an approved gold mine in Nunavut, Canada owned by Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. Sabina developed a comprehensive community engagement program during the environmental assessment phase of the Project to share information, receive and address local feedback and concerns, and develop productive relationships in support of Project advancement. This paper outlines Sabina’s engagement program, successes and challenges encountered from the perspective of a mineral developer, and insights obtained for effective community engagement in a Canadian Arctic context. The program has been commended by observers and is consistent with best practice models. Sabina’s experiences revealed the importance of engaging early and often using a context-specific approach; comprehensive record-keeping and reporting; the meaningful incorporation of community perspectives and Traditional Knowledge; and focusing on long-term relationships, partnerships, and local benefits. Effective community engagement subsequently played a key role in Sabina securing major licenses and permits for Project advancement.

Analyzing the effectiveness of environmental impact assessment in Paraná, Brazil and California, United States with fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis and the analytical hierarchy process

“…Stakeholder coordination was identi ed as a su cient condition. Early public participation is also often recommended not only for good practice, but also as a means of addressing and reassuring the concerns of local parties (Arts et al, 2012;Cashmore & Axelsson, 2013;Prno et al, 2021). Sustainable development is a contested concept (Cashmore et al, 2007;Sneddon et al, 2006;Zaccai, 2012), so agreement on project de nition as a necessary condition would mean stakeholders agree to the project's purpose and conceptualization, which with stakeholder coordination would be su cient to lead to a normatively effective EIA process.…”

Lost in Translation: Overcoming Distinctions in Worldviews in Environmental Impact Assessments in Canada and Russia

“…Challenges were presented when certain mining and EIA terms did not have Inuktitut equivalents; this was mitigated by working with interpreters in advance of meetings to ensure proper understanding, or otherwise being available to review these terms with the community in alternative ways (Prno, Pickard & Kaiyogana, 2021). The engagement program also used plain language and varied communication techniques (e.g., visual and audio media), which helped to provide greater uptake of data during the EIA process.…”

“…The engagement program also used plain language and varied communication techniques (e.g., visual and audio media), which helped to provide greater uptake of data during the EIA process. Traditional Inuit 12 place names gathered through TEK research were also referenced where available to ensure common understanding by traditional land users (Prno, Pickard & Kaiyogana, 2021). Hence, professional translation alone is not enough in EIA engagement sessions, and it is necessary for all participants to be familiar with local TEK to ensure effective communication.…”

“…These kinds of terms mentioned above cannot simply be included as selective afterthoughts amidst documents first written in the registers of Greenspeak, as discussed earlier, but need to be documented DOI:10.18584/iipj.2023.14.2.14943 within the context of the Indigenous language first and foremost. As discussed in relation to the study by Prno, Pickard, & Kaiyogana (2021), simply translating is not enough-explanations, teachings, and negotiations of understanding are essential when engaging with TEK. We recognize that EIA/EAs will need to be translated at some point when all primary materials are collected in an Indigenous language -however, we feel that to best capture the epistemological and ontological dimensions, it is necessary to ground everything in the Indigenous language itself where that is possible.…”

Sinergi Inovasi, Modal Budaya Dan Partisipasi Masyarakat Dalam Menciptakan Kesejahteraan Umkm

“…Studi lain juga mendukung Prno et al (2021) dan Zarei dan NikBakht (2021) menyimpulkan bahwa partisipasi masyarakat adalah keterlibatan seluruh anggota masyarakat dalam pengembangan dan pelaksanaan suatu program atau kebijakan yang berpotensi memberikan manfaat dan kesejahteraan bagi masyarakat itu sendiri.…”